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October 03, 2014

We are thrilled that our Target Snack Shack tour is a finalist for a BizBash Event Style People's Choice Award, and we would be your best friend if you would vote for us here: 2014 People's Choice Awards. This oasis of summer fun popped up on beaches and in parks across America, providing a bevy of games, photo ops and tons of free goodies to more than 50,000 people.

Saying "cheese" atop a giant sandwich.

Families took home a dinner kit filled with food, recipes and coupons.

Giant milk jugs and cereal boxes set the stage for a playful afternoon.

Players got into the action with Target grocery product themed cards.

We had a great time playing with so many people - be it a game of Tic Tac Toe with life-size Grocery products, or snapping silly selfies amid giant cookie boxes. The tour stops became delightful happenings and everyone left even more enamored with Target than they already were!

March 22, 2011

The first Global Volatility Summit that we produced in 2010 for a consortium of hedge funds and banking institutions was such a huge success that it came back bigger and better last week in a transformed, empty floor of a lower Manhattan office building. With all that is currently taking in place in Japan, perhaps this summit was timelier than before, as well.

"World Volatility" is not fun in any way, nor is it a strong visual, so it is a radical challenge for us to turn something that is essentially a conceptual idea into something that is a visual idea. But while difficult, it is also radically rewarding artistically. After banging our heads against the wall for many weeks, we hit upon that sweet spot where art meets information to create something NEW. We looked to the major tail events of history: The Bursting of the American Housing Bubble, Black Friday, The Great Stock Market Crash of 1929, The Cuban Missile Crisis, Tulip Mania, The Oil Crisis of the 70’s and more to create a series of sculptures that commemorate these occurrences in evocative and visual terms. We also used the currencies of the world as a graphic language to further subvert. Since the conference is really all about making money at the end of the day, why not use actual money as part of the installation?

Upon arrival, a grand, sinking ship with dramatic plumes of baby’s breath smoke is backed by a giant dollar bill that has been volatilized. Note the genius touch of Karen Hsu of Omnivore whose subtle upside down “volatility” in the graphic uses type so smartly to point back to the theme.

Commemorating Tulip Mania as a prime, historic example of a large economic bubble burst, the term metaphorically refers to the period in the Dutch Golden Age when the price of single tulip bulbs reached extraordinarily high levels and then suddenly collapsed. Thus, we created a tulip out of Dutch Guilders.

Honoring the Great Stock Market Crash of 1929 with a sculpture that commemorates the date itself. A three dimensional “1929,” upholstered in the daily paper’s stock pages is frozen in action, it’s numbers crashing to bits.

Creating a series of unique graphics, each subverting a world currency to illustrate various tail event stories -- The Collapse of the Berlin Wall, The Crashing of the South Sea Bubble, and Tiananmen Square, for instance, all carry the theme of the day with a wink and nudge.

The dot com bubble burst is “drawn” in welded steel.

There are many surprises in this day-long conference that prides itself as being anything but hum drum and run of the mill. To signal the start of the program and the end of breakfast, a “Spontaneous Musical” in which the actors, who on first glance were part of the wait staff or were actual guests, burst into song when a “waiter” accidentally drops a tray to a great clang . . .

The day was a great success, and we have already started thinking about next year. In 2010, a grand marching band signaled the commencement of the program, parading right on through breakfast, and after this year’s “Musical,” everyone is now asking, what will you possibly do next year? Let us know if you have any great thoughts. Any and all wacky ideas are welcome!

March 04, 2011

It takes a village and a half to bring the crazy installations we dream of to life, and Scott, our Technical Design Director is always behind every feat. Today I’d like to pass the reigns to Scott who documented our recent installation for Target and Read Across America from a different perspective. Heeeeeere’s Scott!

D.

ps - Check out the cool installation video at the end of the post!

I recently spent a chilly February night on the steps of the New York Public Library installing four very large letters that made up our Target Read Across America sculpture, incorporating 25,000 Dr. Suess books that were donated to schools and reading programs following the event. Although it was bitter cold, I was warmed by the scale of our installation, and the scale of the tools (aka toys!) we were playing with that evening. To help you visualize, those letters are 18’ tall on top of an 8’ base, and if you throw in the height of the Library plaza, the books at the very top of the letters are over 30’ above street level. That’s three stories high!

But back to the toys … check out that crane!

I caught the flight of the ‘E’ on video as it passed over the library’s lion. It was so smooth that the lion didn’t even flinch. Just goes to show that it’s still about having the right toys in your toy chest . . .

March 01, 2011

Last week we partnered with our friends at Target to create an installation that has real meaning for us. On the steps of the New York Public Library, we erected a 26 foot tall, single word: R E A D. This giant call to action and traffic stopper was sculpted out of 25,000 Dr. Seuss books all of which were donated to New York City schools and libraries after the installation came down. R E A D was unveiled with fanfare on the library steps, led by the recent Oscar nominee Mark Ruffalo who then joined about 500 New York City kids and parents inside the Library for a morning of readings and fun.

Uma Thurman, Keri Russell, and Common also read with the kids to show their support for Target’s incredible sponsorship of The National Education Association’s Read Across America program – they are planning on donating 1 billion dollars in educated-related giving by the end of 2015!

February 14, 2011

I have to be honest that Karen Hsu from Omnivore, Inc. designed this jewel for us with the intentions of it being a holiday new year’s card, but we were slow on the punt with that one, getting it into the mail in the latest of January. No problem: Because of its heart imagery and whisper of sweet nothings, it is now the perfect . . . VALENTINE.

The materiality of the print piece is not apparent here digitally so we included some snapshots of the actual piece which was printed on newsprint.

January 18, 2011

2010 was an incredible year at David Stark Design, filled with events that we broke artistic ground on left and right. It saw the launch of our new book, DAVID STARK DESIGN published so beautifully by the Monacelli Press, as well as our line of holiday and home decor designed in collaboration with the ever chic west elm. The David Stark collection of digital holiday greetings on www.cocodot.com provided yet another canvas on which we painted, and we found ourselves decorating everywhere -- from the fabled halls of the State Department in Washington D.C. to Martha Stewart’s country retreat in Bedford, New York.

Thank you to all of our clients, partners, collaborators and to the team at David Stark Design that made 2010 one of the most creative years yet. We look very much forward to raising the bar (and having a lot of fun along the way) in 2011.

December 06, 2010

OK . . . so a bunch of weeks back, I posted some pictures of giant fruits and veggies that were in the process of being created by our partners at Atomic Design, with the promise of showing what we did with them when we were finished. And now . . . I can do just that!

To spread the word that Target now carries fresh produce in so many of their stores, we created a giant shopping bag that (oh, by the way) is also a truck, and we parked it in prime spots directly in front of Union Station in Washington D.C. and on Michigan Avenue in Chicago.

It was super fun to see the reaction and smiles of thousands of people, especially as we gave them free bags of produce with accompanying recipes by Giada de Laurentiis. In Chicago, Giada did a cooking demo and signed hundreds of books to her fans that came out in droves. She was amazing, so personable and so riveting, and the fans ate her up (all puns intended!).

It was a lot of fun to create this smiling work. Like Randy’s Donuts in L.A., our goal was to create an icon that was happy and friendly and joy inducing. By the look of about 50,000 smiling faces, I think we succeeded.

The food section at Target is fabulous. I shop very often at the store in midtown Miami and pick up milk, butter, eggs, and all kinds of other kitchen staples when I go for other necessities for my home. Try it. You’ll like it . . . A LOT.

November 22, 2010

We’ve been running like crazy, non-stop, since the summer so it is kind of shocking to all of a sudden wake up to -- SHAZAM (!) -- holiday season! But that is also exciting around here because we have two very special projects that we are so excited about that lasso the holidays in a big way.

This year our David Stark for west elm holiday collection brings the hand-made to you. In much the same way we that we transform everyday materials in our Brooklyn studio into inventive decor for events all over the world, we’ve invented a series of items for west elm where you can feel the hand and heart of the person that crafted it. In fact, we actually invented an imaginary party in our minds that we were designing for. The world was our chic party client. (wink!)

Since we have been especially obsessed with paper (the pop-up flower shop that we created for the launch of our book was conceived in the same headspace!), the items in our holiday collection mix metallic papers with recycled newsprint in unusual ways while a series of ceramics, tableware, tiled mirror and linens ground the paper in permanence. I like casting against type. Newsprint is definitely DULL, but it is fun to make it the belle of the ball, donning sparkling hats and surprising everyone with its festiveness.

Here are a few of my favorite things from the collection:

This four-pack of our Newsprint Flower Shades transforms regular wine glasses from your cupboard into glamorous cabaret lamps -- instant centerpiece! Just add LED votive lights which never make a mess. I am going to give packs of these shades with accompanying LED lights as my holiday gifts this year! And the shades fold up flat so they don’t take up any room at all when you store them.

I love this Newsprint Tassel. I think I love it because it is elegant and silly all at the same time. Of course you can hang it on a tree, but I would also hang it from an antique key in the lock of a door or armoire, around the neck of a bottle or vase, from the pull on a window shade, tied to the ribbon on a gift or as a fun napkin ring.

I am pretty tapped out for space in my home, so when we designed our Twig Topiary, it was important to create flexibility for easy storage. Not only do the arms bend into any decorative position, but you can stand them straight up, too, so that you can easily hide this little bugger in a tight closet after the holidays!

The newsprint is surprisingly festive next to the shimmer of metallic. These fractured ice, graphic plates pair beautifully on a cocktail or dessert buffet. I will use them year round!

The mirrored objects were conceived with multiple uses in mind as well. The wreath can hang on a wall or door but it can also sit on a table as a fruit bowl or hold a glass cylinder and a pillar candle in its ring. The bottles have removable fittings in their openings. Leave the fittings in and you have fantastic candle sticks. Remove the fittings and you have great vases. The bottles don’t hold water so either use a little water tube available from a local flower or craft shop to hold your bloom or use one of our paper blooms, leaf stems or dove stems which don’t need any help at all!

We designed our Two-Part Vase because we are always searching for the perfect container for all floral scenarios. Here, in one fell swoop, you have the perfect bud vase that shows off a single bloom in all its glory OR . . . you take the top off, and you can make a lush bouquet in the bottom half of the vase. I like when I get multiple uses out of a single object. I will also use the bottom to hold a bottle of wine or water on the table or even as a candy dish.

This Newsprint Leaf Garland is lighthearted and chic. Of course it is perfect on a mantle, but I also wind it around a wall mirror, down the length of a dining table, enhancing a chandelier, marking a stair bannister, and coiled as a wall wreath.

Our Leaf Ornaments made from recycled paper look great on the Twig Tree Topiary, but I also use them as hang tags on gifts, place cards tied to napkins on a dining table, as a gift tag tied to a bottle of wine, hanging from a chandelier – the possibilities are endless.

These clip on flowerscan be used in a variety of ways too. I have been clipping them on to napkins and to wreaths, on to garlands, but you know what else? They make a great bookmark!

We also made these flowersin kraft and recycled paper. I mix them in with the silver and gold – no problem.

These plates and bowls were so popular that they have sold out, but I wanted to show them here, because I really like them and they look so good with the rest of the collection.

David Land’s video, shot on location when we shot the catalogue, shows how everything works together!

Now . . . when we are planning a party, we ALWAYS start with the invitation. I always say that the invitation should be a little clue, a little window into what the party is going to feel like, and I am so happy to premier our very first line of e-vites, thank you notes, holiday cards, and stationary with Cocodot. Many of the pieces work hand-in-hand with our west elm collection and others are just, plain fun. There are templates in which you can upload your own photo, you can change the text with a myriad of fonts and colors, and cocodot will manage your rsvp’s too. Here’s a little preview of what we have going on there.

Let us know what you think, guys. And have a GREAT Thanksgiving everybody. I’m going to Boston to be with my family, and I am thankful for many, many great things.

July 07, 2010

While creating our new book, I suddenly recognized a recurring theme in our work that I was not conscious of before: cakes!

A food for thought revelation- our events are filled with an abundance of gorgeous cakes of all sizes and textures, ‘cakes’ made from a variety of unconventional materials like flowers or wood, to real edible cakes that transform into surprising sculptural moments. Cakes and parties go hand in hand since parties have been fun, but our delightful cakes are perfectly garnished with our business approach: wherever there is a party convention, why not break the mold? (wink)

In true Alice in Wonderland spirit, flowers were seen where they would be least expected: in surprising pop-up formations as “edible” items! (above)

Tongue in groove, cakes of raw wood were built with whimsy to enhance an editor’s preview of a fall home line of product. (above)

Even though it’s not a cake, per se, wooden pies, are still pretty cool, right?! (above)

A boisterous birthday to-do with candy-colored…well, everything, including a multi-layered and striped ‘wooden’ birthday cake! (above)

2D meets 3D in this over-ripe world of pink where turn of the century engravings are enlarged to life size and mixed with three dimensional flowers and fruits to create a fun optical illusion. (above)

The incredible Confetti Cakes collaborated with us on this edible sculpture. What better way to mirror Maine in Manhattan than with a red lobster cake propped on a brown sugar sandbox of beach toys? (above)

Our wonderful friends at The Cake Studio hailed down this 200 pound taxi cake; the perfect addition to a New York City themed celebration. (above)

Whoever said you can’t have your cake and eat it too? Not only do I personally love to make the cakes for our events fun and unexpected, I am also drawn to cool cakes made by others as well! If you’ve got a ‘sweet tooth’ too, below you’ll find work that I find rather addicting.

Inspired from the eye and mind candy of Robert The, I love this cake slice of a book frosted with real icing. (above)

A true pastry genius, Caitlin Freeman, creates cakes that emulate art in a delicious and cheeky fashion: she reinterprets the esteemed work of inspirational artists and imagines what their art would look and taste like in a decadent confection. The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art’s café sells these confections. Check out her take on Wayne Thiebaud’s Display Cakes. Simply and utterly scrumptious right? And the Mondrian Cake? WOW!

Let us know what you think of our cakes, inspirations, and other cool stuff in our new book!Your feedback is important to us ladies and gents, it’s the icing on our cake(s)! (wink)

July 01, 2010

We delight in opportunities where we can step in and present new ideas in an innovative and amusing fashion, breaking the mold with content driven and humorous décor. We rose to the occasion in spades for a summit of hedge funds where we presented a cheeky and slightly irreverent take to their conferences. The first annual GLOBAL VOLATILITY SUMMIT was held in a vacant floor of 7 World Trade Center with the most glorious 360 degree views of the city, New Jersey, and beyond. But what do you do to decorate a World Volatility Summit? You make the word VOLATILITY your hero, each letter becoming a cool sculpture in the throes of danger. Honestly, it doesn’t always have to be so serious, right?! (wink)

June 11, 2010

I had so much fun this year at Dining By Design, an annual event hosted by DIFFA (Design Industries Foundation Fighting Aids) where a group of creative designers and corporations gather for a great cause to showcase innovative dining installations.

Check out our chic, iPhone-inspired graphic wallpaper in an array of Benjamin Moore’s luscious, shimmering hues and the two candelabras we created (with iPhone flames!) to celebrate the iconic paint company’s brand new phone app, Color Capture! This handy feature allows you to take a snapshot on your iPhone of any color you see when walking about the world, and it instantly matches the color to one of more than 3,300 hues within Benjamin Moore’s color system. Pretty cool right?

We’d love to turn our candelabras into fabulous charging stations. If a grand Liberace-ish candelabra is too much for your home, perhaps a single tapered candle dock will do? But wouldn’t it be cool to turn that must activity (charging) into something fun?!

June 08, 2010

This past May for the American Patrons of Tate Museum’s Second Artists Dinner, the colored pencil was our hero. When working for such an esteemed art institution, it seems only appropriate to construct décor out of materials that inevitably trigger the visual conversation between the act of creation and the materials used to create. Thus, we welcomed our guests, an outstanding group of artists, patrons, and benefactors, to a gorgeous spectacle of moving chroma. As if viewed through a kaleidoscope, centerpieces for rectangular tables became undulating hills of pigment, brilliant rainbows of colored pencil bluffs, rolling from one end of the table to the other.

On the round tables in between, plush, saturated bouquets rose from colored pencil vases, and at every table setting, each guest received their very own set of colored pencils and a Post-it pad to draw on as they chatted the night away!

Such an important dinner is not simply for decorating. I would rather see it as a possibility for bold art-making. And the sharpest colored pencil concept in our event-planning coloring box? After the party, 16,000 colored pencils went directly to school art programs. We’re keepin’ it green, kids!

An amazing and incredibly fun evening, BRAVO to the Tate for another outstanding Artists Dinner! The honor is ALWAYS ours.

May 25, 2010

To celebrate the launch of our new book, David Stark Design,we created a pop up store/installation at thewest elm store on Broadway and 62nd Street. It was open for 4 days only and everything from the flowers and plants, to the gardening tools were created out of paper and made by us. Even the walls and awning of the store were paper, and it was really fun to have the cutest corner flower shop land, unexpectedly, in the very center of west elm. We collected discarded books from random stoops in Brooklyn as well as uncorrected text books and used the pages to create an array of orchids, house plants, tropical leaves, trees, shovels, watering cans, and loads and loads of flowers. I was inspired by the concept of the now iconic show presented by Claes Oldenburg in his studio in the 60’s called THE STORE. In our flower shoppe, we created a stylized stage set where the purchase of accessible hand-made art objects became part of the theater piece.

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Gustavo documented the installation, launch party, and strike in stop action. Check out the process from beginning to end below!

Thank you so much to Alex, Jim, Angel, Abigail, Kendall, Patrick, Paul and all of my friends at west elm. I had a wonderful, wonderful time launching our book with you, and I thank you for hosting us and all of our buddies. I also want to thank you for embracing our loopy ideas and championing fun and difference. I am so excited to see where all of your new energy takes us in the coming months and LOVE every single moment of our collaborations.

May 17, 2010

Today is the first post of a new tradition to be intermingled amongst our existing traditions and surprises. In Quick Pick Me Up, we will run single, inspiring photos from events we create and of things that inspire. Let the games begin!

xo

D.

Susie captured this recent Bride’s bouquet as she dropped it at her place setting, returning to the cocktail hour hands free. Delicate Lily of the Valley is always a winner when locally grown and gathered within the short window of its growing season.

April 23, 2010

This morning Spencer spied something fun/weird in our own backyard. Check it out . . .

D.

Parking tickets and tow trucks are a fact of life in the big city, and with the alternate-side parking regulations in effect, it's a constant struggle to stay vigilant and avoid the dreaded orange envelopes tucked under our windshield wipers. Parking in front a fire hydrant, however, is a violation of the most egregious sort. This morning while walking to our studio on Luquer Street, I noticed a flashy blue convertible parked in flagrant violation of the regulations:

(A close-up of the offending vehicle.)

“Who is this hot shot driver thinking he can park his ride wherever he wants?” I thought. I had no choice but to intervene. Let’s hope this young motorist exercises more caution in the future.

March 22, 2010

So you might ask yourself, “Where do thousands of flowering plants go after the Liberty of London for Target pop-up store closes its doors?”

Well . . . I am very happy to report that Bette Midler’s New York Restoration Project was very excited and grateful to mobilize quickly and embrace these yummy signs of spring. Coming to a community garden and/or park near you (actually, they are there now!), thousands of daffodils, hyacinths, primroses, and more were immediately planted by the foundation to help make New York City and its burroughs a little sunnier and a whole lot happier. Our friends at the foundation were kind enough to send us the below action photos: repurposing hard at work!

Thank you, Target. Thank you, New York Restoration Project for helping to make our city an even more fantastic place to be!

February 09, 2010

This past December we produced a fashion show and party celebrating the opening of Tory Burch’s flagship store in Ginza, Tokyo, and it was such a phenomenal night! While the photos don’t exactly show the same view as our rendering, you’ll have to trust me when I say it looked just like it!

We took over a large, blank slate of a space, transformed it into Tory’s distinct and chic world, and Tokyo’s celebrities and A-listers came out in droves to meet Tory and to celebrate. The focal point of the room was a grand, tiered platform that floated in the center of the space, a revolving gold Tory medallion topped the platform like a cherry on a sundae while bars capped the ends at ground level, replete with huge arrangements of the most opulent, pink hydrangeas. The concept was simple but bold, and all of the details were right on. From the gold trim on furniture and pedestals to the vases for the flowers that were custom colored in Tory’s signature purple, we made sure that every last detail spoke to the brand.

Often I am drawn to event schemes that are direct and simply powerful. You don’t need a lot of stuff, just the RIGHT stuff. Tory brings such pizazz with her already that our job was easy. After the show, the crowd erupted into a roaring dance party. Like storming the Bastille, we took over the model’s platform. This multi-leveled dance floor kept the party going way into the night.

Dear Tory and all of our friends at Tory Burch, it was our great honor to be there to help you guys celebrate all of your accomplishments. You ain’t bad dance partners either!

February 08, 2010

My DSI family finally found me a name so go ahead and call me OLIVER! Things are great over here at David Stark Design. I love my big sister Sascha and I let her know that by barking and nipping at her. Sometimes she plays and sometimes she growls. I don’t know what to make of it ‘cause I don’t understand females. I’m really hungry ALL the time. Let’s see … I’ve eaten a dime, the bell on the collar I wore for a day, some blackberry cords, and a really yummy treat that turned out to be rat poison. I mean, it smelled like peanut butter and jelly. I don’t know what rats or poison are but I ended up at the vet’s and I’m told I’m okay. I felt fine so I don’t know what all the screaming was about. Anyway, I have lots of stuffed toys that I chase and bring back to my puppy bed. My family calls me a hoarder. I’m not sure what that means, either. All I know is I’m STILL hungry and I … I … [yawn].

January 13, 2010

We were too busy in the month of December to have our company holiday party, so last Friday we did the deed and had a beautiful lunch at a loft in DUMBO. It was great fun as always, but especially fun for me because the gang at David Stark Design surprised me with a wacky video that they made when I was in Japan producing a large event for Tory Burch. To my great surpise, this was all pulled off without me having any idea at all. I was so touched and amazed, and I am both embarrassed and excited to share their zany humor.

Perhaps you won’t shed the tears that I did upon seeing this, but I think you’ll be able to see what a wonderful family my team is. That is something that I am very, very proud of.

December 18, 2009

We ADORE creating pop-up stores, and a week or so ago, we pulled off an ambitious retail feat that I am proud to share! We opened three different stores, in three different cities, New York, Washington D.C. and San Francisco, all on the same day! Target is well known for innovative thinking and for essentially inventing the pop-up store model, but these were not typical shops where you go inside, walk aisles, and try on clothes. Rather, our TARGET TO GO shops were one part roadside ice-cream stand, one part, drive through, and all parts fun.

The concept was simple: A menu board showcased 50 numbered gift items for the entire family. You marched up to the window, ordered by item number, and then quickly, a satchel of pre-wrapped gifts was handed right to you! FAST. EASY. FABULOUS.

We were right beneath the Highline in New York City, and our structure beautifully melded into the surrounding architecture of the city’s iconic Meat Market district.

In San Francisco and DC, Tudor style structures were scaled to their respective locations and propelled guests to a slice of North Pole holiday cheer. See the rendering below and images of the real-life structures that follow.

These shops were only open for four days, and it was particularly exciting and challenging to create the actual structure of the stores, something much more complicated than creating a store interior in an existing building. The weather was not necessarily on our side, but we were water tight and the shoppers came in hordes anyway!

This was an amazing project and BRAVO to my good friends at Target! You guys always WOW me with your appetite for change and for the new. Thank you for including us in your groundbreaking endeavors! The honor is ours.

November 24, 2009

A couple of weeks ago we produced such a lovely party, a carnival for kids and their families. Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundationhas long held a gala unlike adult galas to raise money to eradicate pediatric AIDS and beautifully teach young children the importance of giving back. I have long admired this special project from afar and feel very fortunate to be part of it for the very first time this year. On a crisp Fall Sunday, we invited 800 people to JOIN THE MOMENT.

Coming off the recent David Stark Design clock contest and the clocks we made for a West Elm store opening, we still had clocks on the brain. How perfect? For Kids for Kids, the clocks become a metaphor and a call to action.

The event was held at Industria Superstudio in the West Village. Upon entering the event space, our clock wall set the tone for an afternoon of fun. All floors and ancillary tents were filled with games, face painting, fabulous food, storytelling, crafts, an art room where the kids painted side by side with some of the most renowned artists of the New York art scene, and finally a station where the kids and parents alike packed packages, mommy and baby survival kits sent to Africa after the event. Take a look at the pictures below.

A special shout out to our buddies at Innovative Philanthropy.What an incredible job you guys do with this event! Thank you so much for including us. The honor is ours.

September 16, 2009

I spent a beautiful time with pals a couple of weekends ago in Montauk, and the many farm stands that we passed on the way had huge sculptures of ears of corn standing tall and greeting the cars with a smile. It reminded me how much I love giant . . . well . . . ANYTHING.

My love for “giant” stuff started as a kid at the iconic 80’s Soho store THINK BIG. Every dentist’s office in America had a giant toothbrush in their lobby from the shop, and I thought it was super cool. I feel the same about roadside vernacular architecture where nutso oversized “things” hit the road. Here are some that I love below.

The above picnic basket is the world’s largest one, a building that is the home of a basket making company (but of course!) in Newark, Ohio.

The world’s largest chair (above) is in the piazza of Manzano, Italy. Manzano is a city of chair makers so this is quite apt.

Spokane Washington’s city park sports this ‘lil red wagon. (above)

I’m not really a doughnut fan as far as eating is concerned, but this L.A. icon has always sent me! (above)

Similarly, the artist Claes Oldenburg’s public sculptures change the context of a public arena with bold whimsy. Check these out:

We “blow it up” quite a bit in our events too . . . transporting our party guests with an Alice In Wonderland sense of scale shift. Check these out below:

This was our version of “The Bouquet of the Day” at one of Macy’s Flower shows (above). The last thing Macy’s needed from us was another pretty bouquet in a lovely vase. We surprised everyone with this oversized paint brush dipping into dripping “paint” created from thousands of fresh, red carnations.

A giant hammer of bubble wrap hovered in mid bang above the guests heads at a gala for the Museum of Art and Design. (above)

Here (above) a giant composition notebook becomes a powerful metaphor for the fine work that the incredible folks at New Yorkers for Children do in helping foster children on the road to an education.

This “bottle” was created from hundreds of recycled wine bottles for an editor’s preview event for the Eco countertop line. The countertops are created entirely from recycled glass, porcelain, and mirror, and our event schematic showcased various sculptures made from the raw recycled materials.

If anyone has any examples of giant things in the world that they love, send ‘em in. We’d love to see and be inspired by yours too!

Xo

D.

Ok . . . We have our first BIG thing contribution (below) from Deborah who “used to drive by the Peach water tower en route to the Carolinas from Atlanta (back in my grad school days). It is located in Gaffney, SC.”

Thanks for sending in this cool addition, Deborah. Anyone else? Don’t be shy!

August 10, 2009

Ok . . . so I have to admit that I am a little obsessed with this fashion house, and I have quite a collection of the designer’s clothing from over the years, but the store environments that they create to shop in are fantastically exciting too. This year, the House of Margiela premiered a line of home pieces at the furniture fair in Milan. Whether it was an experiment that will become a reality in the marketplace is one thing, but I was sad that I didn’t get to see it firsthand. I am also sad that I did not get to see the retrospective, celebrating 20 years of Maison Martin Margiela at MoMu in Antwerp. So . . . I am going to do my own little homage today, focusing on interiors. Part 2 and 3 (in the future) will focus on clothing and accessories. There’s too much yummy stuff for one posting, you know?!

I love the whole trompe-l’oeil thing, a frequently used strategy. Note the real wooden floor that has been painted to look like a “real wooden floor.” This is something that we do quite a bit too. Note our real wooden stumps, painted to look like “real wooden stumps” for an event we did for the Sundance Institute (below). It’s turning the tables; I love the wink and nudge of it all. You see fake things all the time that are trying to be real – fake Louis Vuitton bags on Canal Street, fake Rolex watches, but it is funny to see a real thing, posing as a real thing.

The wine bottle lamps (below) have been staples of the store interiors for years. A couple of years ago, I was sent a holiday gift from the New York team, thanking me for being a good customer. It was a bottle of champagne entirely painted over in their signature gesso, making the bubbly incognito, and rendering the bottle unusable. Thus, a standard gift, a bottle of spirits, is transformed into an art piece.

Painting everything over in matte white until something is “anonymous” is the method de rigueur in the shops. I am not attributing the painting to “they” or the house because there is something about the way it is done which makes you feel that everything is naturally the way it is. You don’t feel the hand of the person who does the painting or the obscuring. Rather, you feel as if everything has always been that way. Often times, materials that are of value (leather), that “should” never be painted over are painted over. Note the leather chairs below that have been erased in white gesso. The furniture naturally rises out of years of painting jeans and shoes and coats.

When not painted, furniture is often wrapped in white muslin slipcovers. Some of the most inane objects are also covered in white slip covers (hangers, for instance). And often, multiple objects, grouped together, have one single slip cover that is made for the objects as a unit. See the vignette of mannequins below, sheathed as one as well as the various seats in a line that have a single cover that unifies.

The New York store has a tiny room whose walls are upholstered in egg cartons and the jewelry collection is shown off to great effect in there. It is a brilliant amalgam of trash and chic all at once. I couldn’t find any pictures of it, but go check it out. Of course, I wish I had thought of that one. It’s so perfectly inane. And I love that they have the audacity to display and sell some of the most expensive clothing and items around in a setting that is anything but. Once again, it is not what you use, but how you use it that wins the race. It’s so inspiring for me to learn from others that do it so brilliantly and fearlessly. Merci Monsieur Margiela.

August 03, 2009

Robert and I took a ride to Garrison, New York the weekend before last and toured Manitoga, the home and studio of the iconic 40’s and 50’s industrial designer Russel Wright. It was a real pain to find (once again, we owe that to Map Quest’s less than dreamy directions), but we made the tour in just the nick of time. And BOY, WAS IT WORTH IT! The grounds were incredible, the house and studio incredible. RUN. DON”T WALK, kids!

Of course, I knew Russel Wright for the above ceramics. In college, my friend James had an incredible collection, and that was my first introduction. But I didn’t realize he was such a nature lover too. Try to find his home in the picture below. Wright was playing “Where’s Waldo” long before there was a “Where’s Waldo” as it was really important for him to integrate his home into the grounds with the least impact on the land. Perhaps his roof was one of the first “green” roofs ever with grasses and then sedum planted on the entire, flat rooftop? His natural concerns in the 50’s and 60’s were so ahead of his time. So many of his personal design concerns from that period are in vogue right now. Pretty cool.

He “encouraged” moss gardens (below). I didn’t know anything so yummy was growing in the northeast.

A couple of years back, I had been obsessed with moss patches. Note our moss “wall,” created for an event for the Turner Networks (below).

The house itself (below) was kind of like a cross between Falling Water and perhaps the Eames home in California. He brought the outside inside and the glass walls blurred those boundaries. Natural boulders, tree trunks, bark covered doors, stone door knobs, and other sensitive surprises were juxtaposed to the iconic and mass produced furniture of the times from companies like Herman Miller. Of course, Russel Wright’s tableware graced the kitchen.

The below screen of butterflies, pressed between a filmy plexi created a pocket door to the bathroom in the house (right). Doorknobs were surprising moments. A carved face here, an actual stone from the woods there, become tactile experiences, not just utilitarian features (left).

Wright’s studio (below) was in a separate wing of the house. The male guests stayed here. The female guests stayed in the “Harem Wing” of the main house. (wink!)

You need to make a reservation to tour the house. It is well worth it. Without a reservation, you can hike the grounds of the property. I believe there are 60 or 80 miles of trails. But if you go there, it would be a shame to not peek inside Wright’s sanctuary and mind. You know what I mean?

June 17, 2009

There is a very clever bunch over here at David Stark Design -- so clever that I am constantly surprised and delighted to go to work every day and hang out with such creative forces. My recent “make your own clock” challenge had already been revealing some wonderful responses and last week, if you didn’t tune in, I posted a bunch of them individually. But not only is the group talented, they are also very COMPETITIVE, so when I revealed that the “winner” would receive two very GOOD seats to my girl, Beyonce’s, upcoming concert, the gang kicked into high gear. The clocks have poured in FAST and the results are posted below.

Now I call upon YOU to help us determine the winner. Please leave comments on this post below and tell us which clock is your favorite. You can tell us by name or by number, and tell your friends to write in too! And your mom!

Tallying your comments will determine who wins and gets those prime seats. We’ll make that determination by noon on Friday, so don’t sit on your vote! Thanks for giving us your thoughts! I know that a lucky two people will really appreciate it.

Xoxo

D.

PS - The clocks are listed in alphabetical order by first name so as not to insinuate preferential treatment. ; )

June 08, 2009

I am very pleased to pass the microphone over to Chris, my right and left hands in EVERYTHING over here at David Stark Design. Chris and I share an obsession with sneakers . . .

ENJOY his clock, er . . . kicks!

xo

D.

I love, love, love sneakers, koi fish, and koi fish artwork so when Charo got me koi fish Vans for my last birthday, I really couldn’t believe how “me” they were! Fearing they were limited, I immediately ordered another pair online just to look at. I envisioned displaying them in my home but being part Asian, shoes on the wall or a shelf isn’t so … um … Asian. When David started giving out clock kits, that creative light bulb went off and now they seem more appropriate and super FUN to display. Hopefully Mom will approve and with a best friend in Geneva, Switzerland, I can track two time zones!

June 05, 2009

Next up to bat is our fabulous Senior Project Manager, Christina, flexing her clock-making muscle and the crowd goes WILD!

And how fitting that we post this entry on National Doughnut Day. Who knew? National Doughnut Day was established in 1938 by the Chicago Salvation Army to raise much-needed funds during the Great Depression, and to honor the work of World War I Salvation Army volunteers who prepared doughnuts and other foods for thousands of soldiers.

You go, girl!!

xoxo

D.

Did anyone know that the character in those iconic “time to make the donuts” commercials was named “Fred the Baker”? Yes, I admit it, I like and reference Wikipedia. The commercials aired from ’82 to ’97 and showed Fred in a state of half-consciousness similar to the one I was in when I came up with the idea for my clock. It was a middle of the night epiphany that alleviated a lot of the anxiety I was feeling about having to compete in a creative competition with my colleagues – a group of the most inspired, artistic and inventive people imaginable. Anyhow, I am pretty proud of myself (as everyone around here is sufficiently sick of hearing) and look forward to seeing all the other cool designs!

June 04, 2009

Today I give the reins to our buddy Jason, one of our design geniuses at David Stark Design. Jason immediately accepted Aly’s clock challenge from last Friday, and I am jealous of what he came up with! Hmmmm . . . now what am I going to do for my clock?!?

D.

P.S. The clocks are now pouring in, and I will keep posting them. Hey . . . if you want to make a clock and send us in the pics, we would love to see them!

I love summer straw hats. This is the classic Pork Pie shape. The high, flat top keeps you feeling (and looking) cool - and I thought it would make a great clock! Plus it will keep our coat rack from being lonely this summer.

June 01, 2009

We blew in to the windy city fast and furious a couple of weeks ago to open a new pop-up store for Target, which was a BIG hit and mobbed for its entire run of four days! The Target Bazaar, a cross between a chic, urban green market, a flea market, and a bustling Turkish Bazaar, came to life in the historic bi-level, retail space at the base of the Chicago Tribune’s building on Miracle Mile. The crowds lined up to preview exclusive designer collections and the very BEST of Target’s new summer loot, and the guests walked away with BIG smiles, even bigger bags of stuff, and the BEST values around.

I really LOVE these retail projects. We had an absolute ball with the graphic look and feel of the space. It’s as if this bustling marketplace was buzzing on the adrenaline of a big fruity cocktail (or two or three)! Within all of this cartoon zaniness, though, there is a distinction that we find very interesting. Unlike a permanent store that needs to be neutral and flexible for an ever changing array of merchandise from season to season and from year to year, the pop-up store is more like theater with a very specific stage set. Because we know exactly what product we are getting when we are in the planning stages, and we are only open for a short time, we can create an absolute experience that is immersive for the guests, that envelops the guests. We turn shopping into theater, into a party.

The centerpiece of the market was a grand vegetable stand where fruits and veggies were each equated to one of the designer brands that the Target Bazaar featured, each fruit marked with a tiny bullseye

sticker.

a

In the business and fashion press, there has been an awful lot of discussion lately about what it will take for stores to lure guests back in during these competitive times. Price slashing is one thing, but it is not enough. “The experience” is really the focus, I think. In the same way that restaurants can be theater, stores can be too. Thank you Target for championing the zaniness. We adore and have so much fun with you!

Xoxo

D.

P.S. A big shout out to Juliana Jaramillo, our fearless Design Director, and our entire creative team. We actually had a very short time to conceive and build this one, and you guys totally ROCKED it!

May 29, 2009

A couple of months ago, we had tremendous fun making clocks and all kinds of other cool things for the opening of West Elm's new, fabulous store near Columbus Circle on New York City’s Upper West Side. Because we enjoyed making the clocks so much, I thought why not let our gang at David Stark Design run loose and make their own. Its my pleasure to give the reins over to our fabulous Studio Director, Aly Walder, who today kicks-off what I hope will be a fun new tradition. Heeeeere’s Aly …

xo,

D.

A few months ago David gave out clock kits so everyone could design and make their own clock -- genius idea and a fun way to get the creative juices flowing (thanks David!). I'm an avid tennis player and was determined to do something associated with tennis, but I also knew I ultimately wanted to hang the clock in my apartment. Something "sporty" hanging in my apartment was just not going to work for me. I figured it was worth waiting until the right idea just popped – and so it did! It was just recently my Birthday and David gave me the coolest gift – Kim the Talking Wall Clock designed by David Dear.

I love this clock! When you press Kim's nose, her eyes flash as she announces the time! If you hold her nose a little longer she will even cock-a-doodle-do! As I excitedly took the clock out of the packaging, and lifted the ½” foam from Kim’s face with two holes for her eyes and the cut out to protect her nose from the box, I thought, THIS would make the perfect clock! Not only could I recycle the cool packaging, but I could hang the visual clock up next to the talking clock.

So thanks David for the Birthday generosity that turned one gift into two! Now I challenge my colleagues here at David Stark Design to get their minds ticking and produce some more tick-tocks!

May 19, 2009

This past Tuesday at the Jacob Javits Convention Center, 3,500 people came together to “WOW” New York by breaking all records raising funds to help the city’s neediest. A whopping 72.6 million dollars was donated in that single evening, and every single cent of that money will go to the people that need it most – thanks to the very generous Board of Directors that underwrites the entire cost of the benefit. It is with great pride that we did our part, again collaborating with our long-time client, Robin Hood, to re-think this important evening.

Guests entered the cocktail pavilion through the very center of a Robin Hood archery target.

With a serious world recession as a backdrop and Wall Street scandal still fresh and burning, it was a unanimous decision to do away with the over-the-top excess of previous years. This year, there were no more auction packages where guests could bid on unnecessary, once in a lifetime opportunities: private yoga classes with Madonna, lunch with Steven Spielberg, a walk-on role in the next Scorsese film. This year guests opened their hearts and wallets for the sheer good of helping – NOT for what they would get in return.

We turned to IML technology for help with the pledging. The IML instrument looks like that very first, clunky cell phone that we all had, but with the device, each guest pledged (privately) any amount they so desired, plugging in the numbers on their personal key boards. The collective results were then instantly broadcast on grand screens for all of the audience to see. In these times, when wealth is gauche to flaunt, generosity registered without the public spotlight causing personal embarrassment. And register it did! About 30 million dollars were taken in that evening just from the IML auction!

We had a design problem on our hands, though. How did we integrate these devices (3,500 of them!) on to the tables without it looking like a mess of TV remotes? Instead of flowers for each dining table, we created 3 dimensional cityscapes where silhouettes of buildings integrated the IML devices into their mini-skylines until the guests were prompted to each take hold of their devices. Neat, clean, and clever, the buttons on the devices looked like the grids of building windows. The centerpieces were both cool and functional, and reinforced an evening where the visuals were lean but direct and powerful.

350 mini cityscapes create a grand cityscape when merged together. Here, each unit awaits their IML devices, lined up on work tables during set-up.

We are very proud of the design. It was initially a challenge to boil our visual language down to the essence – I’ll admit that. This is especially true because this event had always been an open showcase of grand visual gymnastics for us in the past. But frankly, I think that the visual gymnastics are still there even though there is much less STUFF. Good design is about making every visual moment matter, and I don’t mind being challenged with the shifting rules of any game. In fact, that is what makes design so fascinating, right?! On this grand scale, a challenge such as “Let’s have less stuff, but let’s make the stuff that we have even more direct and meaningful” is pretty awesome.

A big thank you to our buddies at Robin Hood for the challenge, the faith, and the opportunity. It is with great pride that we were able to RESPOND to your call, and we sincerely congratulate you on your accomplishments. You do a lot of good for a lot of people.

May 11, 2009

A week or so ago, we produced one of the most glamorous evenings I can remember in a long, long time in New York City. Honoring the actor Tom Hanks, the Film Society held it’s very first fundraising Gala at the brand new, sparkling Alice Tully Hall of Lincoln Center, and the evening was electric. Needless to say, Mr. Hanks is quite popular and many of his buddies – Julia Roberts, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Sally Field, Charlize Theron, John Leguiziamo, Glenn Close, Jeremy Irons, Bruce Springsteen, Jonathan Demme, as well as many, many others came out to lift a glass to the veteran actor.

Alice Tully Hall reopened with this glamorous new face lift by Diller Scofidio + Renfro, and what a gorgeous place it is for an event!

From a design standpoint, of course, we wanted the dinner to be special and ultra chic for this momentous occasion, but also be RIGHT for our times. That is a tricky line to walk these days, friends. As I have espoused before, no one should EVER walk in to an event and say, “Oh my!!! Look how much they've spent!!!” To create a décor that felt right for The Film Society (and our times), we utilized the actual stuff that movies used to be made of: FILM. Actual film.

The movie studios were very generous, donating reel upon reel of archived footage that was destined for the trash. Since the new lobby space, designed by the architecture firm of Diller Scofidio + Renfro, is such a stunner, the space did not need a lot to bring it to life. Rather, we focused on key design elements. Instead of floral centerpieces, mysteriously glowing lucite cubes were filled with elegant tangles of film. Additionally, a grand table lamp, also filled with film, presided over the room from the built-in bar and provided the grand element of scale that the room required.

The magic of these centerpieces kicked in when hidden LED lights beneath the translucent topped tables were turned on, their glow perfectly framed to match the dimensions of the plexi box above. The lights scrolled through a rainbow of hues throughout the evening. The look was ever-changing, giving an other-worldly glow to the tangles of film and the room.

Hidden LED lights illuminated the lamp base and its internal tangles of film while the drum shade above was illuminated by more traditional glass bulbs.

The guests I spoke with played “Name That Film,” while table hopping. "Was it Deep Throat?,” someone joked at one? Or “Tootsie” at another? It’s funny. When working with the rolls of film, I saw it simply as an evocative “material.” It did not occur to me to think about the film as “content” as well. When on stage, Mr. Hanks had revealed that he cut a souvenir from his centerpiece (about four to six inches of film), pulled it from his breast pocket, and upon showing it to the audience, he began to espouse on the emotional meaning of film to him. One could look at film as BOTH a material like any other, or as a bearer of content, and this double meaning is what we always strive for in our art making.

Congratulations Mr. Hanks and the The Film Society. We were VERY happy to be there to help celebrate your big day!

April 20, 2009

My friend BZ introduced us to a truly amazing talent who we were lucky enough to have join us for a recent event. Master Cheng takes impromptu orders at parties and within seconds, in front of your very eyes, he cuts elaborate animals, silhouettes, and anything your heart desires out of everyday paper. I asked for a Noah’s Ark of animals. Master Cheng did not disappoint. And the guests were pretty amazed too!

Cool, huh?!

D.

OMG! It looks just like the rendering:

A Private Celebration

Master Cheng was situated within a glorious and zany “garden” of flowering cherry blossoms, sculpted boxwood hedges, dappled moon light, and really BIG boxwood topiary of the host’s ever ebullient poodle Peaches! Peaches is not only an important member of our client’s family, but she played a critical supporting role in the evening’s drama. She appeared first on the save-the-date, then on the invitation, and as the cherry on the sundae of our cocktail hour – a boxwood nod and wink to Jeff Koon’s infamous Puppy sculpture.

Based on our client’s drawings of Peaches, we first created a sculpted foam armature for the boxwood to be affixed to. Take special note of Peaches collar, though. It’s hard to see in the photo, but the strap is created from pink carnations, and the buckle is a silver photo frame (on its side, sans glass). The part of the buckle that catches in the holes of the belt (does this thing have an actual name?), is a nail clipper. (BIG smile)

Brilliant, right?!

Bravo, my team. That little detail, as silly as it might seem, blows me away. Thank you for that inspiring surprise and for the inventiveness that makes what we do ART. It’s what keeps me going every day.

xo

D.

P.S. Jeff Koon’s work was on my mind a lot while we were playing around with our Peaches. I was lucky enough to experience Koon’s huge puppy both in Spain and in NYC – such different experiences, both wonderful.

This guy greeted us in Bilbao, Spain when we went to the Guggenheim Museum there for the first time. What a magical site he was – all abloom in Technicolor! And huge.

And this Puppy is pretty fabulous too! He was so cool on the roof of the Metropolitan Museum of Art last summer. Where is he now?

And this one? I don’t know where he is, but he is cool in that color too.

April 13, 2009

Last Saturday, we produced a party for a young animal lover, and the table centerpieces were composed of books that after the party were donated to Project Cicero, an annual non-profit book drive that supplements or even creates libraries in under resourced public schools. What a thoughtful way to decorate, right?!

Making this statement even more personal, we created these fun bookends, inspired by our client’s drawings of animals. Now . . . you actually COULD make these at home if you really, really wanted to, but I thought it would be fun to sit back, simply enjoy, and marvel at the work of a good laser cutter – which is how we got those animals to be shaped so fine and precisely.

April 08, 2009

I am happy to let my buddy Corrie hold the reigns today – the first in a series of guest starring performances by the talented members of the David Stark Design team. Corrie is very central to our design department, amazingly talented, and a great artist, and I thought it would be fun for y’all to get a different perspective on life in the fast lane over here.

Cheers!

D.

P.S. I did not coerce her into saying the nice things she said! (wink)

- - - -

As a lucky member of David Stark’s design team, my desk sits closest to the door that leads to our office. I always know who is coming and going and I get many opportunities to check out our cool door knob. It is a classic men’s two-tone wing tip shoe.

This got me thinking how often we love to use ordinary objects in unusual ways; how seductive a Post-It note, a plastic bottle, or a sneaker can be simply by changing its context. David has often tried to convince us that we need to do an event’s decor completely out of tooth picks. Luckily, so far, he has settled for things a bit larger. In this case, shoes.

We have a junk shelf that has ended up as a drop off for materials we hope to use or get inspiration from someday. Last month, David came in with a huge smile on his face saying he had something for us to be “pumped about” and handed me a pair of gold glitter PUMPS. Ha! Pun intended! Of course, I wanted to take them home, but dutifully they went on to the shelf for all to enjoy.

Last year for the Robin Hood Foundation, we made a tornado out of 3000 Nike sneakers! The kicker? All the shoes were donated after the event!

On a lighter note literally, we made an inflatable sneaker as an icon for our Target Bodega project. The extra large sneak inflatable reminds me how the ordinary can be extraordinary by changing the scale and with a touch of humor.

We are not alone in our love of shoes as art and inspiration. There is a culture out there for sneaker freaks, complete with conventions, blogs, and magazines. Shoes have also starred as the muse for many an artist and designer. Corporate brands have joined in as well, commissioning artists to create one of a kind sculptures crafted out of everything from cardboard to vegetables, limited edition runs, and even large scale installations created completely out of shoes.

Brown shoe company commissioned this giant shoe sculpture to sit in front of their building on Maryland Avenue in Clayton, MO. We love the idea of making large sculptures out of smaller versions of itself.

We made this giant pencil out of pencils for Robin Hood last year.

Asics Tigers made a giant shoe out of toys to celebrate its quirky Japanese roots. The giant shoe was a collaboration between StrawberryFrog, LA-based artist Gary Baseman, and Dutch photographer Marcel Christ.

Artist John McNaughton has created giant wooden shoe sculptures as part of a project in the lobby of the Shoe Carnival headquarters, located in Indiana.

Columbian artist, Federico Uribe, worked with Puma to create his installation “Human Nature” which is made entirely out of shoes.

Whether the shoe is the medium, the canvas, or the inspiration, it seems to be a common thread in our collective curiosities. In art school, I had to draw my own shoes more times than I care to count. In my travels through google it seems shoe art is still a staple for young art students. Luckily we haven’t grown out of it. Here’s to putting the right foot forward.

- Corrie

- - - -

Hi guys.

Me again . . .

Growing up, I was kind of obsessed with the woman that lived in a shoe and had so many children she didn’t know what to do! Here’s my contribution to your post, Corrie. Thanks for all the fun surprises. I really love all the cool stuff that you found . . . and YOU!

March 27, 2009

A couple of Sunday’s ago, the fruits of several months of planning came into fruition: a glamorous evening celebrating the 125th year anniversary of the Metropolitan Opera as well as the veteran tenor Placido Domingo’s 40th year of performing with the company. It was a very chic evening, filled with celebrities, fashion moguls, and style-makers, and the air was buzzing with excitement despite the gloomy cloud of a bad economy that continues to pervade the news and psyche.

This project was an interesting assignment for our times. How does one design an event on this scale, for such a momentous occasion and make it appropriate for today’s realities? Lavish is out, of course, but SPECIAL IS ALWAYS IN! We found our “special” within the MET archives and used a glorious history of 125 years of graphics to create an appropriately celebratory environment within the cavernous tent in Damrosch Park. Instead of over-the-top flowers and dripping crystals, fonts were our muse. Exploded, cropped, varied in type and color, the array of graphics not only provided a wonderful walk through the Opera’s historic identities in print but it transformed the tent into a three dimensional collage. Elegant banners gently fluttered above vases and luminaries wrapped with glowing prints from every time period. It didn’t really matter if you could read all of the text. We often cropped at such extreme angles to simply celebrate the sheer form of the lettering and push it into the realm of pattern.

Guests at a fundraising event should NEVER walk in and question how much was spent on the evening. Rather, the guests should walk in and say, “WOW! That is COOL!” Price should never enter their heads. These are not expensive materials that we used, it was inventive concepts that carried the weight of the evening. And you know what? That’s the way it SHOULD be – regardless of the economy.

March 17, 2009

We had a whole lot of fun helping our buddies at West Elm celebrate the opening of their exciting and comprehensive new store at 870 Broadway last week. About 700 people came by to say hi, have a drink, admire the new digs, and generously bid on a silent auction of objects we created out of the store’s packing and catalogue waste to benefit the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum.

The idea was hatched over drinks one night last summer when Alex Bates, West Elm’s amazing Senior Vice President and Creative Director, described to me how much refuse was unavoidably part of opening a store. What a shame, of course, but also . . . WHAT AN OPPORTUNITY! We both looked at each other and said, “Let’s make something out of it!”

We created a 10 foot tall lamp from larger packing boxes to command the ground floor window space at 870 Broadway and to beautifully complement West Elm’s natural furnishings. The faceted design emerged when no single box side was large enough to satisfy our desire for scale. Necessity breeds invention, right?!

Although our lamp lit up, I thought it would be fun to have an oversized cardboard plug curled to its side. The artist Claes Oldenburg often did this too. The plug below was the “tail” of his “Giant Soft Fan.”

On the second floor, nestled within West Elm’s chic vignettes, we filled a gallery with our hand crafted objects, works that straddled the line between house wares and sculpture. Some pieces were entirely hand-made, while others were made from laser cut cardboard and then hand assembled. Some pieces were functional, and yet others merely fun.

900 retired West Elm catalogues were utilized to make the above chair, ottoman, topiary, and lamp.

My all time favorite piece of art is Felix Gonzalez-Torrez’s “Perfect Lovers” (above) in which two clocks, starting in perfect synchronicity become out of step with each other over time. Our “Recycled Perfect Lovers For Felix” plays homage to this piece and the artist. (below)

“Perfect Lovers” led to all kinds of other clocks -- some laser cut, some out of scraps, but all fun . . . AND ALL SOLD!

There was also a wide array of other goodies – from giant cacti to a humble tissue box, we had something for everyone. (wink!)

The auction would not be complete without a cardboard homage to Magritte’s famous “This Is Not a Pipe.” Ours wasn’t a pipe either, but if push comes to shove, it was probably my favorite piece in the show. I wish I had bid on it and won it back.

So how did this all happen? I met Alex Bates 18 years ago when she was the big boss at a Macy’s private label fashion division. I was pinning things onto presentation boards as a young free-lancer, helping out my dear friend Marcia who also worked there, and years later, the Cooper Hewitt brought us back together in a very different capacity, working hand-in-hand on their National Design Awards. Not only is that project very near and dear to my heart, but I am LOVING being reunited with Alex and our ongoing friendship.

Congratulations Alex, Dave, Patrick, Lee, Barclay, Abigail, Meredith, Tricia, Mark, Paul, Parker and everyone else on the fabulous West Elm team. The store is super chic, you guys outdid yourselves, and we are honored to have been part of the festivities. Let’s clink (cardboard) glasses and toast your new home!

February 09, 2009

O.K. So . . . Travel + Leisure’s event happened about a year ago, but I am posting this now in tribute to my pals Emily and Sabrina over at the IAC Building where the party took place. We were lucky enough to spend the last couple of days with them while we completed the very first wedding to occur in their home. It was a FABULOUS one too!

Emily was explaining to one of her colleagues what we did for Travel + Leisure a year before, and it reminded me that this was one of the very first events where we literally stood back and had that epiphany: “WOW – It really does look like the rendering we created, doesn’t it!”

Both a stylish entryway and photo backdrop, this oversized suitcase played double duty as a magazine dispenser/display unit for copies of the issue being celebrated.

Beyond this giant suitcase, an elegant and modern cocktail pavilion was revealed. The design was spare and sleek, relying upon mirrors for both the bars and the floating canopy above them to reflect and multiply the ever changing imagery appearing on the room’s stupendous digital screens. I am really proud of the relative simplicity of our statement, and many of the guests told us that the décor looked like it was meant to be in Frank Gehry’s space permanently. What a nice compliment!

I can’t wait to share what we did for this weekend’s wedding, and I will as soon as we get the photos back. Mirror played a big role again, but there were many other very cool surprises too. In the meantime, a BIG shout out to Emily and Sabrina: We ADORE working with you both. Thank you for truly wonderful collaborations and for having us be a guest in your stunning home.

January 23, 2009

My pals and I ushered in the start of a “New Day,” Obama-Style at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. this past Monday and WOW, what a wild ride it was!

This is the first time we ever produced and designed an inaugural ball and it certainly was exhilarating and terrifying in equal measure. The sheer quantity of people teeming in the streets of D.C. was overwhelming (sometimes maddening), but the energy was always jubilant and the excitement from young to old was truly palpable. Same at our party. The numbers clocked through the door were rather incredible! Our photos show just how well attended our ball was, but it is important to note that of the 3,500 guests (!), all were celebrities, top government officials, writers and A-Listers from all walks of life who shared the same joy and excitement as the average guy on the street: OBAMA FEVER.

Obama’s win is often attributed to his trailblazing use of technology. Thus, it is fitting that Arianna Huffington (one of the smartest people I have ever met!) and the Huffington Post, the trailblazing media leader on the web, owned the night before inauguration day ushering in this new age. We did it New Year’s Eve-Style with a countdown at midnight, hats, noise-makers and hoopla as well as amazing performances by Sheryl Crow, Sting, Will.i.am, and an innovative décor that brought the connectivity of the web to our party, creating the first internet inaugural ball.

As our rendering shows, we created jumbo laptops in which live twitter feeds, live blogging, thousands of photos and video clips all lived on both the Huffington Post website AND live at the Newseum. Thus, the internet served as a window into the party for those that could not attend, and those partying with us at the museum were in direct dialogue with the world at large. My buddy, Keira Alexandra of Employee Number One, is the genius behind the graphics, video, and internet connectivity. The essence of “surfing the web” and community interaction was brought to life with fabulous style.

I am really proud of the sculptural object-ness of these grand laptops which is really a trick because they are essentially flat. Note that the hands typing away are video (also shot by Keira) and the keyboards are an enlarged photo we took of an actual laptop. But I am enthralled, too, with the conceptual breadth that these flat objects have because they embody the landscape of real communication and interaction reflected in the content on the screens. That tightrope walk looks effortless, but those of us behind the scenes know just how much invention went into that.

I did not leave D.C. with any Obama souvenirs. I regret not purchasing an Obama air freshener for my car, actually, but I am really proud of what we accomplished artistically and, for me, that’s the best souvenir of all.

GOBAMA!

D.

p.s. Hats off to my buddy Mario Ruiz, Vice President of Media Relations for the Huffington Post. He was there side by side with us, creating this evening every step of the way. Bravo, Mario.

p.p.s. Super hats off to our fabulous Liz Holden who REALLY made this happen in a Big Way!

December 23, 2008

As each year comes to a close, I love to look back on all of the projects that we did, and I reflect on all the creative opportunities, challenges, and accomplishments that were achieved by my team during that year. 2008 was a FANTASTIC year – a real doozy of creative trailblazing and, last week at our company holiday party, I presented my annual “year in the life” of David Stark Design and Production to great response. While it would be impossible to share all of the photos here (there were more than 350!), I want to share some of my favorite images from some of my favorite projects that occurred in 2008. I love to see them all together, rather than break them out per event as we normally do, because in this way I get to really examine the threads of thought that run throughout a time period.

I’d also like to extend my heartfelt thanks to our clients and partners whose creative fearlessness allows such accomplishments to grow and flourish. Even when they don’t entirely understand where we are heading on a creative journey, our clients trust in that journey, knowing that the end result will be worth the ride. Thank you for the faith in what we do!

November 25, 2008

My buddy Grace over at Design*Sponge has exquisite taste, and a week or so ago she had an image of Heather Moore’s work up that intrigued me and made me want to find out more. A designer, illustrator, and writer who lives in Cape Town, South Africa, these newspaper cuts were apparently commissioned by a local newspaper for their advertisements, but alas, never ran. Their loss over at that paper, right?!

Upon reaching out to Heather, she suggested I look up the work of another paper charlatan out of Britain, Su Blackwell. WOWSA, Heather! Thank you for that tip!

Coincidentally and without knowing about either of these two amazing artists, we embarked on our own paper cutting project, creating the décor for the New York Road Runners’ 50th Anniversary Celebration.

The Road Runners are the fine folks who produce the New York City Marathon (among many other races), and we told their “story” in a visual way at the chic Metropolitan Club. Books became our “stage set” for the evening, and the paper “runners” cut from those pages brought the metaphor to life.

November 04, 2008

In 1981, my parents took me to see an exhibition at the Cooper-Hewitt Museum, “Puppets – Art and Entertainment.” What a mind blowing affect that show had on me! I was simply transfixed and have had puppets and the Cooper Hewitt on my brain ever since.

It is with great love and pride that almost 30 years later, my team and I collaborate with the Museum on their National Design Awards Gala. As a child, I would never have predicted a full circle relationship with the institution – never in a million years.

We had a mean task in front of us to top last year’s décor in which a year’s worth of our shredded office paper waste was turned into a stylized “Garden of Versailles” to great critical delight. With expectations for this year’s gala high, we embarked on a new take on “green” entertaining, making the décor entirely out of the typical items that that we rent from Party Rental – chairs, cushions, plates, coffee mugs, and the like all to be returned to the rental company after the party. Nothing gets thrown away. There’s no waste. Someone else rents these same elements for another event after (albeit used in a different way!).

Conceived as a topsy-turvy Alice In Wonderland tea party, this year we delved into glorious COLOR – all colors. In previous years, in contrast, palettes were cool and modern – black and white, as if the décor was stating, “This is SERIOUS design, you know!”

But serious design can be delivered with humor, can be colorful. And right about now, when the world is shouldering the deep burdens of imploding economies, we all could use a little rainbow, right?! I am happy to report that at least for the night, our rainbows made the most serious and important members of the design community smile and forget whatever woes were nagging them.

The entry to the grand dining tent was framed by a vivid archway created from hundreds of Party Rental seat cushions.

A couple of months prior to installing the décor, Melissa’s client rendering beautifully foreshadowed the look and feel of the fantasy setting.

A topsy-turvy world of seat cushion rainbows, grand table cloth lampshades, and floating teapots suspended in mid pour were all created from thousands of rental items from Party Rental, all returned the next day. Waste not, want not!

Floral cake slices and cupcakes populated the table still-lives with a wink and a smile.

October 27, 2008

It’s tricky to show infinity and the reflection of mirrors in a computer rendering, but it is often the best shot we have to get an idea across.Case in point, the Whitney Museum’s recent and glamorous gala was all about the Museum’s past, present, and future -- conceptual ideas that we made materially tangible with light, reflection, and color.Inspired by the magical infinity boxes of the artist Yayoi Kusama, I wanted the guests to feel like they were dining within one of these optical works.

The dinner was held in the third floor galleries between exhibitions.To transform the gallery space, we first painted the walls a deep purple and hung floor to ceiling mirrors tinted in hues ranging from purple to smoky gray.Next we suspended hundreds of indigo bulbs from the ceiling in a perfect grid and created a floor plan that flowed perfectly, mixing rectangular and round dining tables in equal parts. Custom light boxes were created for each of the tables. Illuminated panels of the light box were upholstered with plastic slide protection sheets filled with squares of lighting gels and reflective papers instead of slides.The resulting effect was a deeply sexy supper club whose boundaries and points of light seemed to go on in glorious infinity.

Elated from a fantastic evening, Mr. Lauder, the Museum’s fairy godfather, apparently stated on his way home, “We don’t need a bigger Museum. We just need mirrors!”

Yayoi Kusama’s infinity mirrored room, Love Forever (above), was constantly in my mind as we conceived and refined the design for the Whitney’s Gala.The piece is visually exciting, but is also the perfect marriage between the abstract concept of “infinity” and physical, sensual materiality – a pretty hard tightrope to walk.

October 17, 2008

My head and eyes remain on paper as a “go to" material, and clearly, many other very talented folks still think about its virtues too.

Last Saturday, I saw a cool show of Chris Gilmour’s work at the Freight and Volume Gallery in Chelsea. Gilmour maniacally recreates everyday objects out of cardboard and brown paper. I covet the grandfather’s clock, which is pretty awesome. I wish I had a bigger apartment that could showcase it properly (and a spare $27,000!)

Here’s another cool project Gilmour crafted entirely out of boxes, I believe to herald the opening of our friendly, new Red Hook neighbor, Ikea. I’m swooning over here, guys . . . over the installation, not Ikea’s opening, by the way.

Along a similar track, I recently became acquainted with Californian folk singer Phranc’s art work, also a series of objects created out of painted paper and cardboard.

We continue to explore our paper obsession in our own and various ways. Since we’ve been so busy, we haven’t had time to share images from The America’s Society Gala we produced back in June at Cipriani’s grand, old space on Wall Street. To reinforce the organization’s focus on the exchange between North, South, and Central America, we enhanced the space with décor created from 45,000 postcards of monuments, people, landscapes, flora, and fauna of the regions that comprise the Americas and Canada. An entry wall, HUGE suspended chandeliers, and even vases for the flowers, all were hand-made out of the post cards.

This installation was in part inspired by the pixilated Post-it decor I had been transfixed by in the windows of Bergdorf Goodman. The America’s Society entry wall map made out of postcards was a direct response to those fabulous windows.

Stay tuned for images from the upcoming Museum of Arts and Design Gala that we are designing (November 12th, 2008) which explores these ideas further. You’ll see the connection immediately and I’ll continue to post other cool paper works that I find “out in the world.” It will be fun to see these items amass on David Stark Sketchbook as a movement of the times.

September 26, 2008

When we finally get to event day, stand back, and take in what we’ve created, we are always surprised and delighted by how closely the installation resembles the initial renderings we’ve created for our clients. Case in point: We recently designed an event for the wonderful organization, New Yorkers for Children. Our décor incorporated participants’ notes thanking the non-profit along with a giant version of the iconic grade school composition notebook. Our studio ran with the renderings and hatched a plan to bring the oversized book to life. Below is the project evolution from rendering to final installation. I am especially fond of the giant paperclip !! [wink]

I thought it would be fun to kick-off a series of postings on David Stark Sketchbook with this example from New Yorkers. Look out for more of our project evolutions that “look just like the rendering !”

September 19, 2008

We just completed a super fun project with our buddies over at Target. We designed, planned, opened, and closed four “Bullseye Bodegas” inspired by corner delis that all New Yorkers love and frequent. In four different locations in New York City, open for four days only, and carrying a cool collection of items designed by 22 of Target’s designer partners, we spent a lot of time researching what a real bodega actually looks like. Have you ever REALLY examined one? I am sure store owners thought we were just loopy every time we went in and took detailed photos of their, er, coolers. These are some of the photos we took, put up on our walls, and really studied.

And here are some photos of OUR finished stores for Target. Perhaps you can say there is an extreme LACK of design in the actual bodega, but it was a great challenge and pure FUN for us to take something so devoid of design consideration and turn those “visual noise” elements into an Alice in Wonderland fantasy. A tasty gulp of a big, sweet umbrella cocktail – albeit, one in a brown paper bag! (Wink)

September 15, 2008

We’ve been creating a glorious paper trail over here for quite some time, inventing grand décor schemes using paper as our material du jour. It seems that we’re not the only ones -- everywhere I turn, pretty incredible stuff made entirely from paper continues to inspire me and my gang to keep on cutting and folding.

D.

Stephen Doyle, a finalist for the 2007 Cooper Hewitt National Design Awards created this sculpture.

Maciavelli: The Discourses. Hypertext Sculpture. 2007.

Impenetrable Castle by Danish artist Peter Callesen, 2005.

Impenetrable Castle by Danish artist Peter Callesen, 2005.

Inspired by these white paper pieces, we made our own paper bouquets for a wedding.

When we did the re-opening of the Minneapolis Institute of the Arts celebrating a brand, spanking new wing, we created the décor for a grand dinner for 1,000 people entirely out of paper. The flower shapes were inspired by the Museum’s large holdings of William Morris fabrics and papers.

Jennifer Stark is an artist out of Miami who shares my last name, but is not a relation.I've never met her but think her work is pretty spectacular.

Matthew Sporzynski is an artist and designer who we were lucky enough meet recently.Like many, I too, have been obsessed with his work.

One of the all-time genius event ideas was executed at the Museum Of Modern Art when the institution honored architect, Phillip Johnson.There was no real décor at the party to speak of. Guests became the décor when each was handed a pair of the black rimmed glasses Mr. Johnson was known for wearing.500 or so guests all wearing his "signature" look were the décor of the evening.Matthew made the place cards for that evening:A PAPER pair of those same glasses.